"Why do you need a bat? You need a chest pad"- When MS Dhoni roasted Mohammed Siraj
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has shared the dressing room with some legends of the game like MS Dhoni. The pacer recalled an anecdote which showed just how humorous Dhoni is when it comes to his one-liners.
Siraj once asked MS Dhoni for a bat since he noticed everyone around him was asking too. However, Dhoni made a cheeky comment by reminding the pacer that he bats lower down the order and might need a chest pad for protection from short-pitched deliveries.
On the show 'Breakfast with Champions', here's what Mohammed Siraj had to say about his conversation with MS Dhoni:
"Dhoni bhai once came into the dressing room with pads on. Everybody around was asking for bat from him so even I asked. He replied to me by saying, "Why do you need a bat? You need a chest pad. Wait I will order one for you." He also said that if I increase the stroke of this bat, he would give me two more bats."
Siraj also shed light on how important former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun was in helping him get a consistent run for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. He added:
"I had played a Ranji Trophy game for Hyderabad and had picked up a wicket, but was dropped later. I wasn't even selected in the squad later, but the following year, Bharat Arun sir saw me bowling in the nets ahead of RCB vs SRH game. He asked Laxman sir about me but nobody knew. Next year Arun sir came into Hyderabad cricket as head coach. He demanded that he wanted me in the team. He believed in me and I was the highest wicket-taker that year."
Mohammed Siraj was almost going to quit cricket
Mohammed Siraj might have raised quite a few eyebrows when he confessed that there was a time during lockdown where he was contemplating quitting competitive cricket. Siraj leaked runs consistently for RCB in the IPL and it shook him to such an extent that he made a decision to give himself a last chance.
The pacer worked hard in lockdown and came out a completely different bowler. On this, he stated:
"The amount of failures I have seen, no one else would have. I used to get hammered almost every game earlier for RCB. Moreover, this social media is such a dirty place, you have to be far away from it. I had decided in lockdown that I had to work on myself for a year, or I would quit cricket and do a job. I worked on my fitness and bowling, and after that it has been just completely different level of satisfaction to play the game."
Mohammed Siraj has quickly grown into one of the most important pacers in the Indian team right now in ODIs and Tests.